Feel It Break
by Melanie Malachite
Summary: If you open this file, look into the collection of stories within, you may find yourself questioning what connection they have to each other. Perhaps you should be wondering if they have any connection at all. Things are different here. There are some happy endings, sure, but there are also sad endings. Something will always break. Fixing it is another matter entirely.
1. Cry For Help Ch 1

**Author's Note: Every few chapters of this story are going to be their own separate tale of woe and drama, or friendship and love, or maybe just murderous rage. Probably, for the most part, you're just going to get to see me torturing these characters over and over again. I do promise some happier story arcs. I really do. Anyways... read on.**

* * *

**Cry For Help: A Bond In Question**

* * *

Blake closed her book, having finished it. That was it. That was all of them. She had read every book she'd brought with her three times each. She still loved her books and would read through them all again without a second thought, but she was starting to wish she had some new material to read.

She thought about borrowing books from her teammates or other students. Yang wouldn't have any books, and all she had seen Weiss with was that Dust For Dummies book. She thought about JNPR briefly before realizing she had no idea if any of them read often.

Then there was Ruby. Blake remembered Ruby had mentioned that she liked reading, so she might have books. The younger girl was currently in her bunk, suspended over Weiss' bed, going over her homework. Weiss was also in her bed, listening to some music with headphones that looked like she had borrowed them from Ruby.

Blake stood up and walked over to Ruby's bed, waving to her. "Hey, Ruby."

Ruby looked up at her. "Oh, hi Blake. What's up?" It was obvious that Ruby was glad for the distraction from her homework.

Blake smiled gently. "I was just wondering if you might have any books I could read. My books are great, but I wouldn't mind something new."

Ruby just stared into Blake's eyes for a few seconds, stopping just as it was starting to creep Blake out. She looked around Blake's head, then turned around and started shuffling through her various belongings. "Just a sec. I got something perfect."

Blake glanced behind her where Ruby had been looking. All that she could see was her own bed and Yang's bed stacked on top of it. Yang was in town, so her bed was empty. Blake couldn't help but wonder if Ruby was checking to make sure Yang was out. Might she have something lewd that Yang wouldn't approve of? What sorts of naughty books might Ruby be hiding from her sister?

"Here it is! This is a good one." Ruby produced a small hardcover book with handwriting on the front. Blake stared at it for a while, trying to figure out why it looked more like a diary than a novel. Ruby shoved it towards her. "You have to read this one. It's very important."

Blake accepted the book cautiously. "Okay. Why is it important?"

Ruby leaned closer and whispered to her. "Because it holds the secret to defeating the evil mastermind behind it all."

"...Okay..." Blake wasn't sure how to respond to that. Mastermind behind what all?

Ruby squinted at her, looking closer than Blake was comfortable with. "I can trust you, right? You're not a double agent, are you?"

Blake backed away a bit before thinking about Ruby's question. She rolled her eyes. "Sure. You can trust me."

Ruby sighed a breath of relief. "Okay. You can't breathe a word of what you see in there to anyone, lest the evil mastermind's spies hear of it. Got it?"

Blake shrugged, then nodded. "Got it." Whatever game Ruby was playing at, Blake would play by the rules. It wasn't too much to ask for a new book to read.

She stepped back to her bed and rolled back into place, shuffling around until she found a comfortable position, and opened the book. As she had been starting to expect, it was all written in Ruby's handwriting. Blake closed the book and looked up at Ruby's bunk. Ruby's silver eyes were wide, peeking over the edge of the bed to watch Blake read.

Blake sighed. "Ruby... is this a diary?" Ruby didn't move at all. She didn't even blink. Once it became apparent she wouldn't answer, Blake went back to the book. Maybe Ruby wrote a story in here. That could be interesting.

About a page into it, Blake realized that it really was a diary. It just covered Ruby's daily life. She was about to give it back when it came to her that reading this might get her some insight into Ruby's life that she wouldn't get any other way.

Turning the page, Blake noticed something that it bothered her to have missed up until this point. The dates on the entries placed the first pages of the diary around four years ago. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of an eleven year-old Ruby. The mental image it gave her was cute, so she stuck with it.

The diary continued to be general daily stuff. Helping Yang with the dishes, because they didn't have a dishwasher growing up. Playing with Autumn, and from the description Blake guessed Autumn was a pet cat. Going to the playground, which Blake thought was a childish thing for an eleven year-old to be so excited about.

She continued reading, although somewhat distracted when Yang entered the room and jumped up to her bunk, promptly falling asleep. Thinking she might not have gotten all the information in the previous paragraph, she read over it again. Finishing it, she was about to turn the page again when her mind pulled her back to the paragraph. It took her a moment to realize what exactly was wrong. She had stopped reading it keeping in mind that it was Ruby's diary, letting the information flow into her mind like it was fiction. She was sure there was something important or notable in the paragraph that she hadn't caught on to because she had forgotten it wasn't fiction.

She read over the paragraph a third time, making sure she kept its reality in mind.

_My head still hurts from yesterday. Yang says I'll be fine, but I'm sure there's a bruise. Wish I could see it, but it's on the back of my head. Dad says we're not going back to the playground again any time soon. I'm not sure how it's my fault, but Yang said it was so I must have done something. I wish these things didn't go over my head so much. I wish rocks would just go over my head instead._

Blake lowered the book for a moment, trying to figure out what that was about. She looked back at the previous entry to find that it was full of Ruby being excited about going to the playground. There was no entry in between explaining what had happened, so Blake figured they had gone to the playground and Ruby had hurt her head. She decided that made sense and would be a reasonable cause for a parent to not want to take their kids back to the place again. She still thought it was childish to be so excited about a playground.

Worst case scenario, Blake thought Yang might have thrown a rock at Ruby or something, but she chalked that up to sisters acting like sisters. She'd chucked a rock or two at her own sister's head over the years. Blake found it hard to imagine any siblings that didn't throw things at each other regularly.

At that moment, almost as if to prove the point she had just been thinking, a large fluffy pillow flew across between the two beds overhead. Yang woke up and threw it back. Blake smirked and went back to the book, turning the page and reading the next entry only to have it break her heart.

_I don't know where Autumn is. All her stuff is gone and Dad won't talk about it. Did somebody steal her it the night? Why does my precious kitty have to get stolen? Yang says she's gone because I wasn't nice enough to her, but I was always nice and loved her. Why would she go away so suddenly?_

_Why does everyone I love go away?_

Blake had to bight her lip to keep from crying. She couldn't imagine losing a pet so suddenly like that. She read over the last line again, wondering what it meant. Had Ruby lost pets before? Or, considering how old she was when she wrote this, could she have lost a family member somehow? Thinking back over what she had read, she realized there had never been mention of any mother figure. Perhaps her parents were divorced and her mother never came to see her.

Later entries in the diary just made her feel more and more sorry for Ruby. One entry talked about finding Autumn again a few days later when she was taking out the trash. Ruby's pet had died and been bagged with the garbage? Blake had no problem admitting that that made her quite furious. If it's larger than a Goldfish, you give it a proper burial. What really got to her was the fact that Ruby's father hadn't told her that Autumn was dead, so the poor girl had pulled her cat out of the trash only to find out it was deceased. To top things off, Ruby had gotten in trouble for making a mess out of the trash.

Blake stopped reading to look up where Ruby had been watching her. She was only twenty or so pages in and already she felt almost like she had lived through Ruby's terrible childhood experiences alongside her. Did Ruby give her the diary so she could know what Ruby had gone through? Was that the reason behind it? Ruby, up in her bunk, was back to diligently working on her studies. She was normally so happy-go-lucky that Blake had to wonder if the diary's contents were actually fiction.

Further entries, after the whole ordeal with the cat, started to make Blake genuinely worried for Ruby. Something was wrong in that household, and Blake was starting to get a grasp at what it was.

_I don't like that I can't tell anyone what really happened. My arms hurt so much, but I can't tell Dad why. Why can't I tell him? What did I do wrong?_

It continued two days later.

_The bruises on my arms still won't go away. Dad isn't happy that I won't tell him where they came from, but I can't. Yang will protect me though, right? She said she would._

On the next page, the next entry was like a bomb being dropped. Blake shuddered in horror when the implications finally set in, trying to ignore the poor writing that was a blatant result of the pain Ruby must have been in at the time.

_I don't care any more! I hate her! She said she would protect me, but all she does is hurt me! Go to hell, Yang! Go there and stay there! You think you can replace my Mom but you can't! You're not my Mom! My Mom doesn't hit me! She doesn't. She didn't. No. I'm sorry Yang. I'm so sorry._

The whole picture seemed off. Ruby and Yang never had any problems as far as Blake had seen. There was no indications at all that any of this could be true. That was the only thing keeping Blake from kicking Yang's bed off of her own. Only the simple fact that the whole story seemed like the most far-fetched thing she had ever read was keeping her from tearing into Yang this very second.

But then, Blake thought to herself, why would Ruby give her the book? Why, knowing its contents and the effect they would have, would Ruby hand the book to Blake with the message that it was important? The bond between the sisters was so clear, and yet Ruby had knowingly and willingly handed Blake everything that would shatter her trust in her partner.

Blake's mind eventually managed to separate it into two possibilities. Either it was true and Ruby was desperately reaching out for help, or it was a fabrication. The latter option left Blake with the serious dilemma regarding the purpose. Why would Ruby fabricate such a thing? For her to have legitimate reason, Yang would have had to have done something that Ruby felt required some sort of punishment. Blake couldn't imagine what, outside of what the book already stated, and that would make it not a fabrication.

One thing was certain. Blake would be keeping a far more careful eye on both of the sisters. Whichever one was the innocent in the case, Blake would find out one way or another. It would be easier, Blake realized, if she had someone she could trust with the situation. Her eyes turned across the room and to Weiss. Perfect.

Smart enough to be helpful. Dumb enough to do it. ...okay, that wasn't accurate. Weiss was brilliant and would do it because the thought of such a rift between Ruby and Yang would likely enrage her. The thought was still funny enough to entertain Blake for a moment. She let the moment pass, then shook off the thought and moved on. It was immature, and she couldn't let herself look like that.

Then she remembered what Ruby had said about not telling anyone about it. She needed help, but if she asked Weiss now or tried to get her out of the room Ruby would know. If Ruby was trying to frame Yang for some reason, then Ruby needed to think Blake was recruiting Weiss to help protect her. If Ruby was genuinely asking for help, then she would get it. Blake just needed to think of a way to ask Ruby if Weiss was trustworthy without letting Yang know anything about the situation.

Blake slid the book under her pillow, hiding it from view, then stood up and stretched. Yang and Ruby had now fully acknowledged her. Now she just needed to make her move. Well, that and get Weiss' attention. The heiress was still blocked off from the world by headphones and music. Blake decided it was now or never time.

She looked up at Ruby. "Fearless leader Ruby!" The younger girl snapped to attention. "I have a mission that I am about to set out on, and I may need the assistance of Weiss. Do I have permission to commandeer your partner?"

Ruby just stared at her for a second before answering. "Oh, uh, right... um... Weiss... maybe?" She seemed to suddenly realize what Blake was implying. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, Weiss would probably be great help!"

Behind Blake, Yang grumbled at her. "You're asking for Ruby's partner? You do realize I'm right here, right? I'm supposed to be your partner."

"Yeah, but it has to do with books." It was true, and it would get rid of Yang.

Yang held up her hands in defense. "Okay, geez... you don't have to get all scary like that."

Blake nodded triumphantly, then reached down and grabbed Weiss, pulling her to her feet. "Come on, you. We have a mission."

"Wait, what is... what... but I was just... please don't eat me."

* * *

**When you see a problem, you fix it. When you're shown a problem, you fix it. When you are told of a problem, you want to be more cautious. Do you have time to be cautious?**

**Next: Interrogation**


	2. Cry For Help Ch 2

**Cry For Help: Interrogation**

* * *

Blake watched quietly as Weiss paced back and forth in front of her. She waited for a response after having told Weiss everything she had learned from Ruby's diary. So far, Weiss had given no indication that she thought it was for real, but she also gave no indication that she would do nothing. Blake hoped that meant Weiss was trying to figure out how to go about this properly.

Weiss stopped and looked back to Blake. "We haven't seen any proof of this. How do we know Ruby isn't just trying to get Yang in trouble?"

Blake shook her head. "That's my other concern. Why would Ruby do that? I mean, antagonizing your siblings is just part of having siblings, but this is a bit extreme. Why would Ruby want to do this unless she thought Yang deserved it? What, other than what her diary says, would make Ruby give me that?"

Weiss sighed and turned away. "I don't know. Ruby was rather intent on finding Yang during the initiation. She wanted them to be partners, and she wasn't too happy about running into me at first. Granted, I was even less pleased, but that's not the point. Why would Ruby want to be on Yang's team if she abused her growing up?"

"I don't know. I suppose there's a few explanations, but they're all hard to imagine." Blake went silent as another student walked past the two of them. The middle of the hall wasn't the best place for this conversation, but she couldn't think of any better place at the moment. Once the student was out of earshot, she continued. "I can't see Ruby being masochistic... I don't know. If we want to know the reason behind any of this, we're going to have to ask Ruby directly."

Weiss nodded, but didn't turn back to Blake. "That should be our next move, but we shouldn't let Yang know about any of this just yet. Her actions could change suddenly and drastically if she knows Ruby us, and it won't be pretty. Especially not if the accusations are founded in truth."

Blake didn't bother moving, but agreed. Weiss wouldn't have seen any body language she gave, so she just stood there. "If it's true, then she might turn on us as well. However, if Ruby's not being truthful, then we might just hurt Yang unnecessarily."

"Quite a tough situation, isn't it?" Weiss sighed unhappily. "Finding a time when we can be sure we can talk to Ruby without Yang around is going to be hard."

It didn't take Blake long to come up with the answer. "We don't both need to talk to her." Weiss turned around and glanced at her, arching an eyebrow. Blake took a step closer. "If I distract Yang, get her to go training somewhere with me, then you can talk to Ruby without having to worry about her."

Weiss grimaced. "I've watched too many movies to trust this scheme. She'll come back in the middle of our conversation."

Blake grunted, dissatisfied. "I'll give you two hours. If she starts heading in before the time is up, I'll throw a rock at her head. I daresay she'll be distracted a bit longer after that."

"Distracted? She'll be mulching you." Weiss held up her hands, silencing any response Blake had. "Whatever. So long as you think it won't destroy your friendship with Yang."

Blake's bow twitched, telling Weiss that she hadn't thought of that. "I... oh."

Weiss headed back to their room, patting her friend on the shoulder as she passed her. "Hey, forget what I said. Throw a rock at her head. It'll probably just get stuck in her hair, but it will get her attention."

They walked back to the room in silence, both trying to figure out what exact wording they were going to use separately. They entered the room amid a cloud of pillow fluff. Ruby and Yang froze and stared at them, guilty expressions on their faces and empty pillows in their hands.

Weiss threw her arms up in the air and yelled at them. "What in the name of Schnee is going on here?"

Ruby hid her pillow case behind her back. "Uh... nothing?"

Yang just squinted at Weiss. "What... in the name... of... Schnee?"

Weiss glared at the blond. "Yes...?"

Yang tossed her empty pillow case onto her bed as she threw her hands up. "How can you use your own family name like that? There should be a rule against that."

Weiss blinked at her. "I couldn't think of anything more hallowed. Answer the question."

Yang pointed at her. "No." Then placed her hands on her hips, grinning at her witty comeback.

Weiss just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You're all so childish sometimes." She walked off, leaving the sisters with Blake.

Yang waited all of two seconds before interrogating her partner. "So, did you find the book you were looking for?"

Blake was about to say that they had, but it occurred to her just in time that neither of them had a book with them. "Oh, no. No we didn't."

Yang nodded. "Makes sense. You weren't gone very long. Like, enough time maybe to go to the library, but not there and back again."

Blake glanced around nervously. She was right. They had only been gone a few minutes tops,and the library was clear across campus. "Yeah, we... we changed our mind along the way. I suddenly wanted to go do some training, uh... with you."

Yang folded her arms over her chest. "Training... hmm, I don't really feel like training..."

Weiss, who was rummaging through her large piles of luggage, called over to them urgently. "Guys, it smells like something is burning. Actually, it smells like something already finished burning... YANG!"

Yang rushed for the door. "Now that I think about it, training sounds like loads of fun at the moment." She grabbed Blake's arm and pulled her out the door, leaving Ruby alone with Weiss.

Ruby watched Weiss storming over to her, growing anxious every second the distance between them lessened. She held up her hands in defense. "Not me! I'm not the one you want! Yang just left with Blake!"

Weiss halted her approach. "Oh, okay. Did they go training?"

Ruby bit her tongue. "Uh... I think so."

Weiss let out a breath of relief. "Okay, good. We should have about two hours now." She stepped over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. "Come here, Ruby. I want to talk with you."

The younger girl cautiously sat down beside her partner, fidgeting a lot as she went. "Um, okay. Is this going to be a... a, uh... lesbian thing?"

Weiss gave her an unappreciative look. "What?" Then what Ruby said really sunk in. "Wait, what?! Are you on something?! Have you been snorting my dust!?"

Ruby shook her head. "No! I haven't! I'm sorry, I just thought..."

Weiss was indignant. "You thought I was a lesbian?"

"Sorry, it's just, a lot of people seem to think so, and you're really cold to guys, and... I dunno, I thought you were interested in me."

"Ruby, stop. Right now. I'm not, and that entire notion is completely ridiculous."

"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken without hearing what you wanted to talk about first."

Weiss held up her hands defensively. "That's not to say that I'd think any less of you if you were... but, uh..."

Ruby nodded. "You wouldn't be interested."

"Yeah."

"Got it."

There was silence between them, and it was long and awkward. Weiss finally broke the silence, but her question only made it more awkward.

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"You know... do you like girls?"

"Oh, uh, no."

"Okay, just checking."

"Oh, okay."

"Let's pretend this little conversation never happened."

"Agreed."

The silence returned. A few minutes later, Ruby looked back up to Weiss. "So... what did you want to talk to me about."

Weiss sat up straight. "Oh, right, yes. First, I wanted to see that book you gave Blake. I just need to verify a few things first so I know what to expect. Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"The book!"

"Oh!" Ruby jumped up and started making a mess out of Blake's bed area. "I think it's here somewhere."

Weiss just watched. Blake's bedding had once been the nicest among the four, almost resembling a nest that a pet cat would make out of blankets on a couch. Now it was just another victim of one of the two sisters that had obviously not been properly taught to clean their rooms. Eventually, however, Ruby came up empty handed.

"I don't understand! It's not here! Maybe Blake took it with her..."

Weiss stepped closer, but not close enough the mess to be infected by it. "Well, you've destroyed her living area, but you missed one place."

"Where's that?"

"Under her pillow, doofus." Weiss reached down and picked up the pillow, revealing what was hidden beneath. Weiss then stared at the empty spot for what seemed like an eternity. "Wha... I was sure it would be there."

Ruby glanced around the room, wondering where else they could look. "Maybe she hid it somewhere else while we weren't looking."

Weiss turned around, shaking her head. "Okay, Ruby, what did the book say?"

Ruby looked like she hadn't understood the question. "Uh... why?"

"Because I need to know. It's why Blake is distracting Yang; so that I can find out exactly what's going on. I need to see it in the book or hear it straight from you."

"Well, what's in the book that you want to see?"

"Ruby..." Weiss sighed and shook her head. "Look, I'm sorry. I just want to help, okay. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ruby looked like she was sweating nervously, something that didn't fit in Weiss' mind. She glanced around as if someone might be watching her. What Ruby was worried about was beyond Weiss, but it concerned her that Ruby was acting scared.

"Okay, let's try this." Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "How about you start with why you gave the book to Blake in the first place."

"Um..." Ruby squeaked. "Why I gave her the book? I, uh..."

"Please tell me you remember giving her the book. What was it, your diary? You should remember things like that, Ruby."

Ruby nodded. "Oh, yeah. Just... how much did she tell you?"

Weiss sighed. She wanted answers, and she wasn't getting anything quickly. She supposed it was a good thing Blake was giving her two hours. "Okay... would I be correct in surmising that Yang hasn't entirely been... kind to you in the past."

Ruby backed away, shaking her head. "No, no, nothing like that. Yang is always nice, she just... sometimes she does things that... she doesn't mean to do."

"Does she hit you?"

Ruby shook her head again. "Not since we came to Beacon!"

"But she did before?" Weiss pressed the matter, wanting to get to the truth as soon as she could.

Ruby lowered her eyes, looking avoiding eye-contact with Weiss. "Yes..."

Weiss backed away for a second, pondering something out loud. "But she stopped when you came to Beacon... because of me and Blake?"

Ruby looked up suddenly, her face lighting up ever-so-slightly. "Because of you? Maybe." She looked like she hadn't even thought of that, and realizing it made her a bit happier.

Weiss took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "So that clears something up. You said she doesn't mean to do it, right?" Ruby nodded. "Okay, that means we might be able to help you by helping her. I think all I can do for now is make sure you and I are always together. That way, I can keep you safe."

Ruby was nodding enthusiastically. "Yes. I would like that."

Weiss held up a finger, shaking it in Ruby's face. "And remember. Not lesbian!"

Ruby grinned mischievously. "You seem to be reinforcing that point a lot. Is there a reason for that?"

Weiss turned red. "Wha- no! I just want to make sure you understand!"

"It sounds like someone might be in denial."

"Shut up! Before I change my mind about helping you!"

Ruby made a motion like zipping her mouth shut. She then made another one where she locked her mouth shut as well, then proceeded to eat the key. Weiss shook her head and facepalmed, only glad that no one could see them like this.

* * *

**You were my friend. You are my friend. I am your friend too, but I can't help you here. I want to help, but you won't let me.**

**Next: Boundaries  
**


	3. Cry For Help Ch 3

**Cry For Help: Boundaries**

* * *

Blake's plan had not exactly gone well. She hadn't had any particular idea of what training they should do and couldn't think of any on the spot, so Yang got bored and started back towards the school. After having no other choice, she did indeed throw a rock at Yang's head. It hit with a hollow thud and bounced to the ground. Yang turned to look back at her, then looked down at the rock, then back to Blake.

"Did you just throw a rock at my head?"

Realizing that it may have really not been a good idea at all, Blake shook her head. "No. Huh? Rock? Must have been a bird dropped it."

"A bird? A bird dropped a rock... on my head?"

"Just a theory. I mean, I didn't see it happen, so I dunno."

Yang stopped for a moment, looking like she was thinking about something. "Wait... are you trying to just keep me occupied?"

Blake shook her head. "No. Why would I do that?"

"You are!" Yang turned and dashed away, heading back towards Beacon.

Blake couldn't imagine what would happen if Yang barged in on Weiss questioning Ruby about the sisters' relationship when they were younger. She had to find a way to stop Yang, but the only thing she could think of that would stop her now was a full-on confrontation. She knew she could catch up to Yang, but wasn't sure if she could actually stop her.

"Crap..." She ran after Yang, feeling desperate to stop her. She caught up to her just before the blond opened the door back into the school. She grabbed Yang's shoulder and turned her around. "Yang, wait. I need to talk to you about something."

Yang crossed her arms. "Oh really? How about you start by telling me what you're trying to keep me from seeing. What is Weiss doing in our room with Ruby? I know it's not a cake, cause my birthday isn't for another seven months."

Blake held up her hands. "That's what I need to talk to you about, yes. Weiss is talking to Ruby. I'm gonna talk to you. Okay?"

Yang gave her an odd look. "I like you as a friend, Blake. Nothing more."

Blake narrowed her eyes at her partner. "Are you gonna be serious for a moment so we can talk?"

"I'm ready to be serious. Are you?"

"Yang, I want to talk about you and Ruby."

"Okay, she's my sister. I don't think about her that way at all."

Blake threw her hands up in the air. "God! What's wrong with you?" She buried her face in her hands for a second to think, looking up quickly to make sure Yang hadn't left. "Guh... okay. I'm trying to go into this without jumping to any conclusions, so please take it easy. Can you do that?"

Yang just stared at her. "You know, I'm about ten seconds away from just leaving..."

"Okay, okay! I'm concerned about Ruby and about you. I want to make sure that you guys are alright. We're a team, and anything that effects one of us effects all of us. I want to make sure everything is fine between you two."

Yang was looking at her skeptically. "Between me and Ruby? What wouldn't be fine?"

Blake was racking her brain, trying to find a good way to ask the question. Something that wouldn't unnecessarily hurt or anger Yang. "Have you two... ever had any sort of disagreement that got beyond, uh... just a normal quarrel between siblings?"

Yang's eyes seemed to be burning with danger as she responded. "I don't mistreat my sister, and I don't like that you would even think that."

"If I actually thought that, I wouldn't have asked you."

Yang suddenly grabbed her partner's shirt, lifting her off the ground. Her eyes had turned red. "Well here's my answer. I don't hurt my sister. I protect her. And now, I want you to stay away from her."

The pressure of Yang's fists against her throat with the front of her shirt bunched up in them was starting to choke Blake. She managed to gasp out a few words to the girl that was supposed to be her partner. "We're on a team! How... urgh... how am I supposed to... stay away from her?"

Yang just growled up at her. "You're not her partner. As far as her being team leader goes, you follow her orders. Do your part in a combat situation. Your interactions with Ruby stop after that. Is that understood?"

Blake could hardly breathe, and she was sure there would be red marks on her neck afterwards. She tried her best to nod, only for Yang to shake her violently. She tried harder, but the result included Yang's knuckles digging into her throat.

Yang dropped her partner on the ground. "Ruby may be the team's leader, but I think it would be wise of you to keep in mind from now on that I'm the one who's in charge." She turned and opened the door, closing again once she was inside.

Blake pushed herself up onto her knees, holding herself up with her hands as she gasped for air. Yang, her partner, had put her in her place, and now she couldn't even talk to Ruby without igniting Yang's fury.

Part of her wanted to stand up and roar at the top of her lungs. It wanted to crash through the door in front of her and take Yang down a notch or two herself. She silenced that part of her. She had provoked Yang already, and the result was not pretty. She had seen what Yang could turn into, and she had seen it before.

When Blake and Yang had met during the initiation several months earlier, and then she had been witness to Yang in a rage. She recalled seeing her kill an Ursa with a punch, something she, and probably most other people, had thought impossible for a Human.

Seeing the catalyst for such a reaction being the loss of a strand of hair seemed somewhat comical to Blake at the time. She realized now that she had badly misjudged the girl. Yang was a ticking time bomb that Blake had tried to disarm, and now she had cut the wrong wire and sent it up to Weiss and Ruby. She knew that they were about to pay for her mistake.

Blake waited several hours until after nightfall before finally getting up off the ground. She went into the building, slowly and quietly making her way to her team's room. She entered without a sound and headed for her bed, only to realize that her area of the room was a mess. She had no doubt Yang was trying to send her a message. Stepping over her belongings, she climbed into her bed. The blanket had gone somewhere she couldn't see, so she resigned herself to the cold night ahead of her.

She fell asleep at some point in the night, and woke up the next morning to find that someone had covered her with her blanket. Her ears told her that Yang and Weiss were still well asleep, but she could see Ruby in her own bed quietly minding her own business. She wanted so much to reach out and talk to Ruby, to make sure the younger girl was alright, but she knew any sound or move she could make might wake Yang.

She wanted waking up with the blanket wrapped around her to mean that it had all been a dream. It would be so good if it turned out she had only dreamed up that diary and Yang's angry behavior. She thought it would have been nice if Ruby had gotten her blanket for her in the middle of the night, though. It would mean that the previous day had indeed taken place, but the idea made Blake smile regardless.

She looked up and saw Ruby smiled down at her. It wasn't her usual smile; carefree and cheerful. It was a worried smile that showed Blake how concerned Ruby was for her. Blake wanted to thank Ruby out loud. No, that wasn't exactly true. She wanted to thank her out loud, yes, but what she really wanted to do was get out of her bed and scoop Ruby up in a hug. As it was, all she could do was offer a gentle smile in return. Ruby quickly looked away, but a small amount of her worry seemed to disappear.

The moment ended when Yang woke up, her feet pounding onto the floor beside Blake's bed. She turned and looked at Blake. "Come on, wake up. We gotta get going or we're gonna be late for class."

Blake started to pull herself out of the blanket while she asked. "What about Weiss and-"

Yang interrupted. "They'll catch up, I'm sure."

Finally breaking free of the blanket, Blake started looking to change into her clothes only to realize she hadn't been able to change out of them the night before. She sighed unhappily and stepped over her various belongings, mostly books, still strewn about the floor. Once at the door, Yang opened it and ushered her through.

The two of them walked down the hall together. It was uncomfortably silent. Blake noticed that it wasn't just her and Yang being quiet. There was no sound coming down the hallway at all. It was as if the dorms were suddenly empty. There was such a lack of sound that they heard someone approaching from a good distance away. Before they could turn around, Weiss and Ruby rushed past them.

Yang glanced sideways at her partner. "Told you they'd catch up." She called out after her sister. "Where you goin' so fast, sis?"

Ruby briefly turned around to answer. "It's seven-thirty!" And then she was gone, zipping around a corner.

Yang and Blake exchanged glances. They were late for class. Not just any late, they were really late.

"Baka."

"Run!"

Team RWBY made it out of the dorm and across the courtyard in record time, bursting through the doors of the main building and rushing to their first class. Blake suddenly stopped, letting the others run ahead. She saw two figures standing off to the side in the halls, talking casually. It was Professors Ozpin and Port. Their first class every day was with Port. Every day, that is, except for...

Weiss' voice echoed through the halls. "You idiots! It's Saturday!"

* * *

**I just want to help. You won't let me help. Now I'm only hurting myself. I can't see a way out. I can't rely on myself to resolve this anymore.**

**Next: Stepping In**


	4. Cry For Help Ch 4

**Cry For Help: Stepping In**

* * *

Instead of waiting for the rest of her team to head back towards the door, Blake dashed into a nearby room and hid. She heard the others walk past, and it sounded like they had determined she went back to the dorms as soon as they all realized it was the weekend. Whether or not they would return once they found her missing, she wanted to spend some time clear of them.

More specifically, she wanted to talk to one of the school staff. In particular, Professors Ozpin and Port seemed ideal candidates. She hoped one of them would be able to help in the situation with Yang. Both happened to be standing not very far away. She hoped they were too preoccupied with their conversation to bother walking away.

Once she was sure the rest of her team had left, Blake got up and came back out of the room. The two professors' voices were the only sounds that echoed down the halls. She approached quietly, not sneaking but not making any noise. They continued talking for a few moments before Ozpin turned to look at her.

"Miss Belladonna. I'm sure you've noticed there are no classes on Saturday." He smiled. "Most students just read the schedule and believed it, but I'm sure you now see that we were telling the truth."

Blake knew he was joking, but she ignored it. She had something far more important to deal with. "Can I talk with one of you about something? It's important."

Ozpin stepped away with Blake, and she explained what had happened between her and Yang. She was reluctant to tell him about Ruby's diary, but eventually let out what she had read. Ozpin just listened, taking in all the information. At the end, he just sighed.

"The truth is, Miss Belladonna, I knew about this. I hoped it would have stopped when we put her in a team of four but, as you said, that seems to have only stalled it." He shook his head. "I would say that it may have been better if I hadn't moved Ruby forward, but then someone else would be subject to it. I'm afraid there's not much I can do."

"Not much you can do?" That made Blake furious. "You're the headmaster of Beacon! You..." She stopped when a thought hit her. "You knew about it? You knew that Yang has a history of violence toward her little sister, and you let them end up on the same team?"

Ozpin fixed her with a glare. It lasted less than a second before softening, but it was the most serious she had ever seen him. "Let's not get angry, now. The initiation process is something that has been in place for a long time, and I wasn't about to throw it to the wind for the comfort of a few students." Blake was about to protest, but he reinforced his statement. "Yes, comfort. As a team, the four of you are the only ones responsible for making sure that you can function together properly. This is a problem that, while I shoulder some of the responsibility for creating, is ultimately something you and your team will have to figure out on your own."

"Wait, so you're just going to leave us like this? How can you do that?"

He held up his hand, telling her to stop. "I didn't say I wouldn't help. I have something in mind that should calm things down a bit. That said, the problem will not go away. It is something you are all going to have to learn to live with."

Blake was visibly unhappy about his response, but she conceded. "What was it you had in mind?"

Ozpin smiled and took out his scroll. "Quiet for a moment, please." Blake watched silently as he pulled up the messenger, switching it to voice mail. He selected Ruby as the recipient, then recorded the message. "Ruby Rose, I would like you and your partner Weiss Schnee to come to my office. Sooner rather than later." He sent it and closed the scroll, then looked at Blake. "Now, if you'll just come with me, we should be able to work out what to do."

Once inside Ozpin's office, Blake was asked to sit in a chair in front of the desk. Ozpin set two more chairs beside her, then sat down behind the desk. Just in time, the door opened. Ruby and Weiss stepped in, then suddenly stopped when they spotted Blake. Weiss sighed, then grabbed Ruby's shoulder and pushed her further into the room. The heiress then closed the door and walked over to the desk. Blake and Ozpin waited for them to both be seated before speaking.

Ozpin opened the conversation. "Blake has filled me in on the situation so far, and while I had hoped Yang's behavior would have abated once she was in Beacon it seems she will persist. Now, first of all, there was a gap in Blake's story that has both of us curious. When Yang returned to your room last night... what happened?"

Ruby looked down at the ground, clamming up as soon as the topic was broached. However, Weiss answered quite readily. "Yang came back and tried to put all sorts of stupid restrictions on myself and Ruby. She was being pushy, so I pushed back."

Ozpin leaned forward, interested. "You put her in her place, then?"

Weiss nodded. "I'm sure she detests me for it, but... Well, Yang can't control her anger, so I'm sure we have to help her in order to help Ruby. I'm just not sure how to do that, so for now I'm just trying to defend Ruby from her."

Ozpin sighed and sat back. "While, yes, she isn't in complete control of herself, Yang is responsible to a degree and very certainly accountable for some of what she does. The difficulty is with determining what she is and isn't responsible for. Now, I'd rather not have my school turn into a war zone, but the three of you are going to have to work together and stand up to her. All three of you." The emphasis on the last part was directed towards Ruby.

Weiss grumbled. "So, essentially, you just called us here in order to tell us to... keep doing what we were doing?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Actually, quite the opposite. I said all three of you must work together to stand up to Yang when she gets out of control. Don't push back at her so much as stand firm when she pushes at you. Pushing back could only ignite further anger in her. But as I've heard it, it sounds like Miss Schnee is the only one who has successfully stood her ground." He looked at Ruby and Blake in turn. "The two of you need to learn to stand more firmly." Then he looked to Weiss. "And you will, of course, have to help them in that."

Ruby, and now Blake, were looking at the ground. Weiss groaned at the prospect of being further bothered by the situation. "So, you're actually telling us to, let me get this straight... try to win harder."

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, in a manner of speaking. But also I would like you to bear in mind that, despite appearances, Yang is a fragile girl. We don't want to hurt her either, and we definitely don't want to deprive her of the one thing she needs the most."

Blake looked up. "What's that?"

Ozpin smiled knowingly. "Her sister." Seeing the girls' confusion, he explained. "Yang has held herself together thus far due to the fact that her sister, Ruby, has not abandoned her. It would be best if it stayed that way."

Blake stood up. "Well, thanks. This has been an enlightening and informative conversation that totally helped us to resolve the issue we're facing." She turned and walked away.

Ozpin sighed. "I hope you two can keep her on track with this. I fear the burden needs three to bear it." The door was left open as Blake suddenly rushed off. Ozpin gave a look of alarm. "Oh dear... I think Yang may have been listening in."

Ruby and Weiss jumped up and rushed out the door. Weiss glanced down the hall both directions. "Which way did Blake go? Did you see? Do you think she ran away from Yang or chased her?" When Weiss looked back to her team leader, she realized that Ruby had run off without her. "Well, I guess we're searching that way."

Ruby's voice echoed urgently down the hallway. "Yang! Blake! No!"

* * *

**I just want to protect her. I only ever thought of her safety, but disregarded your own feelings. I don't care any more. If you were my friend, you would have stopped this long ago.**

**Next: Balance**


End file.
